A hidden pipeline brings Amazon and Walmart to African shoppers

Djima Antaley delivers a package for Afrety in Dakar on May 20. | REUTERS Jul 16, 2026 DAKAR – No bank card? No address? No problem. Shoppers in Africa increasingly are buying online from big brands such as Amazon or Walmart even though they have no physical presence on much of the continent.Among those benefiting from the shift are local and foreign package-forwarding companies that use technology and increasing internet penetration in Africa to overcome hurdles, including a lack of formal street addresses and customers with no access to traditional banks.One is Senegalese startup, Afrety, which provides a snapshot of how Africa’s shoppers can rely on intermediaries ​to buy from the United States, Europe and China and receive the package at their doorstep. In a time of both misinformation